You need to use PostMessage if you want to your program to work correctly.
SendMessage waits reply and you don't have a message pump in your console
application, thus a hang happens.

Thank you... PostMessage() works to turn off the display, but for some strange
reason it can't turn it back on. I set a 20 second delay, and precisely at 20
seconds my monitor light turns green, but then the monitor goes back to sleep
before the screen can be displayed. I'm guessing the signal is being sent to
turn on the monitor, but not to get windows out of power save mode... I also
see using -1 to turn the display back on is an un-documented feature. I can
get the display back on with a keystroke or moving the mouse, but I'm wanting
the program to turn the display back on without user input. Can anyone think
of any other way I could make my console